News

Cracking Cartels and Crime

3/19/2012

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Cracking Cartels and Crime: US Southern Command hosted a bilateral training exercise with the Guyanese Defense Force at Camp Stephenson, Guyana. Exercise Fused Response brought together roughly 350 US and 200 Guyanese military personnel in activities focused on counternarcotics, anti-organized crime, and thwarting smuggling and human trafficking. "We have been training and doing exercises with the Guyana Defense Force for many years, but this is the first time we have had an exercise of this scope with them," said Lt. Cmdr. Ron Ralls, US Special Operations Command South exercise coordinator. Fused Response is part of SOCSOUTH's special operations capacity-building thrust in the Caribbean and Central and South America. "This is the first time we have had this type of exercise involving special operations forces of the United States on such a grand scale," said Col. Bruce Lovell of the GDF. The exercise took place March 1-9. (Camp Stephenson report by Sgt. Tarecha Neal)